Medical Library Association Position Statement — February 25, 2025
The Medical Library Association (MLA) asserts that access to complete, reliable, evidence-based, and up-to-date health information is fundamental to advancing medical research, improving patient care, and supporting public health. Healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the public rely on authoritative medical knowledge to make informed decisions.
To safeguard this access, MLA advocates for continued investment in professional expertise, health information resources, and the critical role of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and other federal agencies in preserving biomedical knowledge.
The Loss of Government Health Data Threatens Public Health and Research
The loss, underfunding, or neglect of essential government health databases, publications, and websites has significant negative impacts. Many government resources provide the most current and trustworthy public health and clinical information. Removing, censoring, or failing to maintain these resources forces healthcare providers to rely on incomplete or outdated information, compromising clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.In addition, censoring or removing government health information erodes public trust in government agencies as reliable, nonpartisan sources of health guidance, further driving individuals toward less credible or biased alternatives.
These actions also increase the risk of misinformation, as both healthcare professionals and the public may turn to unreliable sources, social media, or commercial websites. This misinformation contributes to poor health decisions, vaccine hesitancy, and reliance on unsafe treatments.
Furthermore, medical research and public health policy development rely on access to clinical trial results, disease surveillance tools, and epidemiological data. The loss of these resources slows innovation, disrupts public health planning, and impedes the development of life-saving treatments.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Plays a Critical Role in Biomedical Research and Public Health
MLA strongly supports NLM, which plays an indispensable role in biomedical research, data management, and public health. The experts who work at NLM provide critical platforms for accessing scientific literature, tracking public health trends, supporting pandemic response efforts, and advancing health equity initiatives. Its contributions to workforce development and healthcare technology ensure that medical professionals have access to reliable, evidence-based information that informs both clinical practice and research.
A key component of NLM’s outreach and engagement is the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), which works to improve access to health information in communities across the US. The NNLM partners with libraries, public health organizations, and community groups to promote health literacy, provide training for health information professionals, and support underserved populations in obtaining credible medical information. By ensuring that local and regional organizations have the tools and resources they need to disseminate reliable health information, the NNLM strengthens public health efforts and enhances the impact of evidence-based healthcare initiatives.
NIH Grantee Facilities and Administrative Costs Support Research and Medical Libraries
MLA, alongside other organizations, advocates for robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bill to ensure the protection of NIH grantee facilities and administrative (F&A) costs (i.e., indirect costs). These funds are essential for sustaining the research infrastructure by covering expenses such as laboratory maintenance, compliance with safety regulations, data security, and institutional support for researchers.
Beyond supporting laboratories, F&A funding also plays a crucial role in maintaining health sciences libraries, which serve as essential knowledge hubs for healthcare professionals, researchers, and students. These funds help cover the costs of journal subscriptions, data management, digital access to biomedical literature, and critical library operations. Without sustained F&A funding, research institutions and medical libraries face financial strain, potentially decimating the medical library workforce, leading to reduced access to medical information, limiting healthcare professionals’ ability to stay informed, and weakening the foundation of evidence-based medicine.
Health Information Professionals Are Vital, but Face Budgetary Challenges
Medical and health librarians play a crucial role in ensuring access to evidence-based health information for education, research, patient care, and public health decision-making. They train future health professionals, support ongoing professional development, and provide access to the latest medical research and resources. Their expertise also helps combat misinformation and improve consumer health literacy.
However, proposed federal funding cuts threaten health information professionals’ ability to provide these essential services. Many medical and health sciences libraries rely on NIH F&A funding to sustain their operations. If funding is reduced, health sciences libraries will struggle to provide the evidence-based resources and training necessary for informed medical decision-making, and healthcare providers, researchers, and students could lose access to up-to-date medical knowledge and resources.
The Mass Termination of Probationary Federal Employees Hurts Medical Research and Access to Health Information
MLA strongly condemns the mass termination of probationary federal employees, including longtime MLA members who have played a vital role in health sciences libraries, medical research, and public access to reliable health information. This action disrupts essential health information services, weakens institutional expertise, and threatens access to critical medical and research knowledge.
MLA stands in solidarity with our affected members and calls on Congress and federal agencies to restore these positions and safeguard the integrity of the nation’s health information infrastructure.
The Medical Library Association’s Call for Action
MLA urges Congress, the executive branch, research institutions, hospitals, public health agencies, and private-sector stakeholders to take the following actions to protect access to health information and ensure a strong healthcare and research infrastructure:
- Prioritize sustained investment in the National Library of Medicine (NLM), health sciences libraries, and health sciences information professionals to maintain access to authoritative, evidence-based medical knowledge.
- Protect funding for NIH grantee facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, which support not only research but also medical libraries that provide essential clinical and scientific information.
- Safeguard government health data resources from censorship, redaction, budget cuts, underfunding, or elimination, ensuring that healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers continue to have access to reliable public health and clinical information.
- Reinstate terminated federal health information professionals to restore critical expertise in medical research, public health, and evidence-based healthcare, ensuring the stability and integrity of the nation’s health information infrastructure.
- Address budget constraints in health sciences libraries by increasing institutional and governmental support to keep critical medical journals, databases, and information services accessible.
- Strengthen collaboration between federal and state governments, academic and medical institutions, and healthcare systems to support health information access as a core component of high-quality healthcare and scientific advancement.
- Combat misinformation by investing in health information professionals who provide essential training, research support, and consumer health literacy programs.
Access to reliable health information is essential to advancing medical research and improving patient care. MLA urges policymakers and stakeholders to act now to protect, reinstate, and expand access to the health information infrastructure that underpins evidence-based medicine and healthcare innovation.